40+ Difficult Words to Pronounce in English
Summary
TLDRThis instructional video script focuses on challenging English pronunciations, guiding viewers to practice tricky words and phrases. The host encourages listeners to repeat after them, emphasizing correct pronunciation and offering definitions through a provided link. The script covers a range of words, from everyday terms like 'sore throat' and 'squirrel' to more complex ones such as 'anesthetist' and 'Worcestershire.' It also addresses silent letters and homophones, like 'bomb' and 'climb,' and ends with an invitation to listen to the host's podcast for further insights and humor on difficult English pronunciation.
Takeaways
- 📚 The video is focused on teaching difficult English words to pronounce.
- 🗣️ Viewers are encouraged to listen and repeat after the speaker to practice pronunciation.
- 👀 Definitions and comments about the words can be found by clicking the link in the description.
- 🎧 An audio podcast episode is available for further listening practice with jokes and conversation.
- 📝 The transcript provides a list of words and sentences for viewers to repeat and practice with.
- 📈 The video aims to improve pronunciation by focusing on words with tricky sounds and silent letters.
- 🐿️ Examples include words like 'squirrel' and 'throughout' which may be challenging for non-native speakers.
- 🏥 The video clarifies pronunciation of words related to professions, such as 'anesthetist'.
- 🎓 It also addresses common pronunciation mistakes, like the difference between 'live' and 'leave'.
- 🏛️ Words with silent letters, such as 'climb', 'comb', and 'crumb', are highlighted to avoid mispronunciation.
- 👨🏫 The speaker, Luke Thompson, hosts an English podcast called Luke's English Podcast for more language practice.
Q & A
What is the main purpose of the video mentioned in the transcript?
-The main purpose of the video is to help English learners practice the pronunciation of difficult words in English.
How can viewers find the written versions of the words and sentences discussed in the video?
-The words and sentences can be found written on the screen during the video, and they are also available through a link in the description below.
What additional resource is offered for those who want to listen to an episode with jokes, tongue twisters, and more related to the words?
-An audio podcast episode is offered, which can be accessed through a link in the description below.
What is the first word the speaker asks the viewers to practice?
-The first word the speaker asks viewers to practice is 'sore throat'.
How does the speaker describe the word 'throughout' in the context of the video?
-The speaker describes 'throughout' as meaning 'all the way through', and provides the example of squirrels living in a park throughout the year.
What does the speaker mean by the word 'hierarchy'?
-The speaker explains that 'hierarchy' refers to a system of levels, and gives the example of a business hierarchy.
What is the correct pronunciation of the word 'anesthetist' according to the video?
-The correct pronunciation of 'anesthetist' is emphasized with the 'th' sound, pronounced as 'an-is-thet-ist'.
What is the meaning of the word 'worthlessly' as used in the video?
-'Worthlessly' is used in the video to describe an action done in a way that has no worth or point.
How does the speaker distinguish between the pronunciation of 'live' and 'leave'?
-The speaker distinguishes 'live' with a short 'i' sound and 'leave' with a long 'ee' sound.
What is the difference between 'ship' and 'sheep' in terms of pronunciation according to the video?
-The difference lies in the vowel sound; 'ship' has a short 'i' sound, while 'sheep' has a long 'ee' sound.
How does the speaker explain the pronunciation of the word 'architecture'?
-The speaker explains that 'architecture' should be pronounced with emphasis on the 'tect' part, and not to confuse it with 'architectural', which is the adjective form.
What is the correct way to pronounce the word 'colonel' as per the video?
-The correct pronunciation of 'colonel' is given as not sounding like the symbol ':' but rather as 'kernel', with the emphasis on the 'el' part.
How does the speaker address the pronunciation of words with silent letters like 'climb'?
-The speaker points out that in words like 'climb', the 'b' is silent, and the word should be pronounced with emphasis on the 'cl' and 'm' sounds.
What is the significance of practicing pronunciation as described in the video?
-The video emphasizes that practicing pronunciation is like a workout for the mouth muscles and can even cause discomfort, which is a good sign of improvement.
What is the name of the podcast mentioned in the video for further listening practice?
-The name of the podcast mentioned is 'Luke's English Podcast'.
How can viewers access more information and definitions about the words discussed in the video?
-Viewers can access more information and definitions about the words by listening to episode 485 of Luke's English Podcast, as mentioned in the video.
Outlines
😀 Introduction to English Pronunciation Practice
The video script begins with an introduction to a lesson focused on difficult words to pronounce in English. The host encourages viewers to practice by repeating words and sentences after them, with the words displayed on the screen. Viewers are also directed to a link in the description for definitions and comments about the words, as well as an audio podcast episode featuring jokes, tongue twisters, and conversation around these words.
🐿 Pronunciation of Tricky English Words and Minimal Pairs
This paragraph delves into the pronunciation of several challenging English words, starting with 'sore throat' and 'squirrel', followed by words like 'throughout', 'bewildered', 'hierarchy', and 'anesthetist'. The host provides examples sentences for each word to illustrate their usage and pronunciation. Minimal pairs, words that sound similar such as 'live' and 'leave', 'ship' and 'sheep', 'full' and 'fool', are also discussed to highlight the subtle differences in pronunciation.
🏛 Words with Silent Letters and Difficult Pronunciations
The host continues with a list of words that include silent letters, such as 'architecture', 'architectural', 'draw', 'colonel', and 'pine kernel', which are homophones with 'Colonel Sanders'. The importance of practicing pronunciation is emphasized, and words like 'comfortable', 'pronunciation', 'recipe', 'scissors', and 'strengths' are provided with examples to guide the viewers in their pronunciation practice.
🗓️ Pronouncing Dates, Ordinal Numbers, and Challenging Words
The script moves on to the pronunciation of dates and ordinal numbers, such as '16th', '18th', '13th', '30th', and words with silent letters like 'bomb', 'climb', 'comb', 'crumb', and 'debt'. The host suggests that if certain words are too difficult, viewers can use simplified pronunciations as a starting point before attempting the full pronunciation.
🎙️ Closing Remarks and Podcast Promotion
In the final paragraph, the host wraps up the pronunciation practice session and promotes his audio podcast, 'Luke's English Podcast', where he discusses difficult English words with comedian Paul Taylor. The host thanks the viewers, encourages them to subscribe to his podcast on iTunes and Android Play Store, and gives credit to topito.com for the initial list of challenging words.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡sore throat
💡squirrel
💡bewildered
💡hierarchy
💡anesthetist
💡threshold
💡Worcestershire
💡comfortable
💡pronunciation
💡recipe
Highlights
Introduction to the video about difficult words to pronounce in English.
Invitation to repeat words and sentences after the speaker for pronunciation practice.
Explanation of how to access definitions and comments about the words by clicking the link in the description.
Pronunciation of 'sore throat' with examples of its usage.
The word 'squirrel' and its pronunciation with a sentence example.
The word 'throughout' explained with an example of its usage.
The pronunciation and meaning of 'bewildered' with a contextual sentence.
Explanation of 'hierarchy' and its pronunciation with a business example.
The pronunciation of 'anesthetist' and 'anesthetize' with an example sentence.
The word 'threshold' and its pronunciation with an example of tax thresholds.
The pronunciation of 'worthlessly' and its usage in a sentence.
Introduction to 'Worcestershire' sauce and its pronunciation variations.
The pronunciation of 'William Wordsworth' with an example sentence.
Minimal pairs 'live' and 'leave' with pronunciation and example usage.
The classic pronunciation challenge of 'ship' and 'sheep' with an example sentence.
The pronunciation of 'architecture' and 'architectural' with example sentences.
The pronunciation of 'draw' and 'drawer' with an example of usage.
The pronunciation of 'colonel' and its association with Colonel Sanders.
The homophones 'colonel' and 'kernel' with pronunciation and example usage.
The pronunciation of 'comfortable' and 'comfortably' with example sentences.
The correct pronunciation of 'pronunciation' with an example sentence.
The pronunciation of 'recipe' with an example of asking for a cake recipe.
The pronunciation of 'scissors' and its usage in a question.
The pronunciation of 'strengths' with an example of discussing strengths and weaknesses.
The pronunciation of 'clothes' with an example sentence and a tip for easier pronunciation.
The pronunciation of 'months' with an example of expressing age.
The pronunciation of 'eighth' with an example of historical usage.
The pronunciation of the letter and word 'Q' with an example of its usage.
The pronunciation of 'fruit' with an example question about fresh fruit.
The pronunciation of '16th' and '18th' with example dates.
The pronunciation of '13th' with an example related to Friday the 13th.
The pronunciation of '30th' with an example date.
Introduction to words with silent letters, starting with 'bomb'.
The pronunciation of 'climb' with a silent 'b' and an example invitation.
The pronunciation of 'comb' with a silent 'b' and an example of its usage.
The pronunciation of 'crumb' with a silent 'b' and an example sentence.
The pronunciation of 'debt' with a silent 'b' and an example of student debt.
The pronunciation of 'doubt' with the correct mouth position.
The pronunciation variations of 'government' with an example sentence.
The pronunciation of 'Luke' and 'Luke's English Podcast'.
The pronunciation of 'podcast' and its distinction from 'postcard'.
Invitation to listen to Luke's English Podcast for more on difficult pronunciation.
Acknowledgment of topito.com as the source of the first ten words.
Transcripts
come on in right let's do this shall we
so hello everybody
this video is all about difficult words
to pronounce in English let's practice
some tricky pronunciation what's going
to happen in this video well what you're
going to do is listen to me say some
words and some lines you can find them
written here they're probably written on
the screen can you repeat them after me
try to copy my pronunciation and try to
make it exactly the same as the way that
I'm saying it alright to get definitions
and comments about the words in this
video just click the link in the
description below and you can also
listen to an episode of my audio podcast
where you'll hear all of these words
with jokes tongue twisters conversation
and more just click that link below okay
then let's begin see if you can repeat
these words and sentences after me let's
pay attention to how I'm saying them as
well
okay so first one is the word sore
throat sore throat this is like when
you're feeling a bit ill oh I've got a
sore throat I don't have a sore throat
today thankfully but anyway a sore
throat sore throat I've got a sore
throat today I've got a sore throat
today sore throat okay
here's number two a squirrel a squirrel
okay one of those lovely little cute
animals that you might see in the park a
squirrel and the sentence is I saw three
squirrels in the park today
I saw three squirrels in the park today
I saw three squirrels in the park today
square rolls squid roll squirrel third
one throughout throughout this means all
the way through okay so for example
squirrels live in this park throughout
the year throughout see the work sound
in the middle of that throughout
throughout okay fourth is the word
bewildered which means confused
bewildered not bewilder ed but
bewildered for example I was bewildered
by all the options I've got too many
options which one should I choose I was
bewildered by the options next word is
the word hierarchy hierarchy which is
like a system of levels okay for example
a hierarchy in a business hierarchy okay
higher higher like higher or lower
higher raah hierarchy for example
there's a flat hierarchy in our company
there's a flat hierarchy in our company
don't forget to repeat these try to
repeat them exactly the way that I'm
saying them there's a flat hierarchy in
our company you might want to just pause
the video to help you do that next word
is number 6 this is a difficult one and
this the tist
a nice the tist ah nice thir tist a nice
fattest
okay and the verb is to anis the ties
anis the ties nice the ties okay so the
example sentence see if you can repeat
this it's the job of the anesthetist to
anesthetize the patients with an
anaesthetic it's the job of the
anesthetist to anis that there are it's
the job of the anesthetist to
anesthetize the patients with an
anesthetic all right
number seven threshold threshold another
word with a thir sound in it threshold
threshold is basically a level or a
point at which at which one thing ends
and another thing begins for example we
talk about tax thresholds so different
levels of tax threshold the example is
if you earn more than seventy thousand
pounds you enter the next tax threshold
guys hot here it's not just the
pronunciation it's just hot
if you earn more than 70 thousand pounds
you enter the next tax threshold number
eight is worthlessly worthlessly which
means sort of in a worthless way or
where there's no you know there's no
worth or there's no point worthlessly
worth less ly worthlessly
and the sentence I was worthlessly
trying to impress her I was worthless ly
trying to impress her
number nine Worcestershire this is a
kind of sauce isn't it it's a sauce that
comes from a place in England called
Worcestershire Worcestershire sauce it's
actually two ways of saying it you can
do the full way Worcestershire sauce
and some people say Worcester sauce so
Worcestershire becomes Worcester past
the Worcestershire sauce would you can
you say no past the Worcestershire sauce
would you ten is a name and that is
William Wordsworth William Wordsworth
can you say it William Wordsworth for
example William Wordsworth was a
wonderful writer William Wordsworth was
a wonderful writer okay
number eleven some minimal pairs here
words that sound similar so we've got
the word live and the word leave so live
and leave okay you see the difference
it's a short sound in live and a long
sound in leave so live and leave for
example you have to live a little bit
before you leave this world very
philosophical statement live and leave
number 12 is ship and sheep this classic
example has been used so many times
before there's in fact there's a book
for pronunciation practice called ship
or sheep ship obviously a big boat and
sheep an animal an animal that we use to
get wool ship or sheep for example we
put all the sheep onto the ship so the
ship was full of sheep okay ship it's a
short sound it and sheep is a long sound
II sheep ship or sheep number 13 full
meaning for example the the room is full
there's not enough spec there's no more
space the room is full and full meaning
like an idiot you stupid fool for
example okay so ful short sound and fool
the long sound for example the room is
full you fool
the room is full you fool can you say
them like we can't fit anyone else in
the rooms full you fool number 14 the
word architecture architecture for
example I love the architecture on this
building it's amazing architecture ok
and then the adjective number 15
architectural architectural for example
the architectural style is fascinating
the architectural style is fascinating
you're still repeating these after me
aren't you you should be because that's
the point of this video you're supposed
to be practicing by repeating after me
so keep doing it number 16 the word draw
draw
I know it's spelt it looks like drower
but it's actually pronounced draw for
example a draw where you keep the knives
and forks you know you open the drawer
take the knives and forks out close the
drawer again so can you repeat this the
knives and forks are in the top drawer
on the left the knives and forks are in
the top drawer on the left
where are your knives and forks are
there just there in the top drawer on
the left
alright number 17 is colonel colonel
a colonel is a senior officer in an army
it's like a position in the army a
senior position colonel
it looks like : l actually pronounce
colonel for example Colonel Sanders
founded Kentucky Fried Chicken Colonel
Sanders founded Kentucky Fried Chicken
Colonel Sardis that's that guy with the
beard and the starch and the white sort
of white suit you see him on the logo
for KFC can that's Colonel Sanders
number 18 another word that sounds the
same and that's Colonel spelt keer NDL
colonel and in this case a colonel is a
nut it sounds exactly the same Colonel
Sanders and then you've got a pine
colonel meaning a pine nut same sound so
they are homophones these words for
example pine kernels can be delicious
nine kernels can be a delicious addition
to a salad can you say that pine kernels
can be a eikaiwa so pine kernels can be
a delicious addition to a salad number
19 the word comfortable it's not calm
for table just comfortable three
syllables are you comfortable would you
like a pillow like it's quite
comfortable isn't it this seats really
comfortable comfortable okay and yeah
the adverb would be comfortably are you
sitting comfortably then we'll begin
for example comfortable number 20
pronunciation pronunciation not
pronunciation it's a common mistake it's
actually pronounced pronunciation so
that now in his pronunciation the verb
is pronounced but the noun pronunciation
so for example pronunciation is
important you have to pronounce words
properly okay number 21 recipe recipe
for example why the instructions for how
to cook something recipe say it with me
recipe can you give me that delicious
cake recipe can you give me that
delicious cake recipe please you have to
say please it's polite okay number 22
scissors if I got any scissors up here
yes here we go scissors now scissors not
schizoar x' but scissors so can you
repeat it scissors for example do you
know where the scissors are where are
the scissors where where did I put the
scissors if you had anyone seen the
scissors oh they're in my hand scissors
alright next word number 23 is the word
strengths yeah that's a difficult one
ready strengths yeah strengths
strengths yeah and it means strong
points it's the opposite of weaknesses
so your strengths and weaknesses what
are your strengths and weaknesses or
what are your strengths and weaknesses
now if it's difficult to say strengths
you can just say strengths it's
basically okay strengths is alright if
you can't say strengths ok next one is
clothes clothes clothes those clothes
not clothes and certainly not clothes is
clothes
yeah clothes for example I bought some
new clothes today now if it's difficult
to say clothes you can just say clothes
like close the door it's a shortcut you
can just say clothes if you can't say
clothes
so saying clothes is better than saying
closes ok so there you go number 25
months months ok 9 months you know law
how old's your baby now oh she's 18
months old now she's 18 months old again
if you can't say months you can just say
months so replace the first sound in
month months replace the thirst sound
with a sound and you end up with months
13 months old okay that's that's not so
bad if you can't say months you can just
say months instead for example she's 18
months old now she's 18 months old now
number 26 the word eighth so we're at
the 1st 2nd 3rd 4th 5th 6th 7th and 8th
ok
so for example Henry the eighth was a
Tudor King of England Henry the eighth
can you say that Henry the eighth you
see that not sir not fur but Sir
okay it's difficult it's one of the most
difficult ones for many people
but you can do it with practice just the
tip of the tongue comes under your teeth
not that well not all the way out just a
little bit like that you could practice
that for further and the the the yeah so
Henry the eighth
practice makes perfect number 27 the
word Q Q which is strange word in terms
of its pronunciation because it's
basically the letter Q followed by four
unnecessary
letters isn't it Q because we say the
letter Q is Q and the word Q is
pronounced the same way so why do we
have Yui Yui at the end I don't know but
anyway it's pronounced Q for example
sorry are you in the queue right are you
skipping the queue sorry at the end of
the queues back there yeah we're all
queuing up here we're not just standing
here unbelievable
okay a queue a line of people waiting
for something number 28 is the word
fruit fruit so not fruit but fruit okay
for example do you have any fresh fruit
do you have any fresh fruit can you
repeat these you stop repeating them
what's the matter with you
you didn't yeah I know you didn't but
some of the other ones did fruit okay
number twenty-nine 16th so we had ate
earlier now we've got 16th 16th for
example it's the 16th of October it's
the 16th of October okay number 30 18th
so we've gone past 17th and into 18 it's
the 18th of November it's the 18th of
November it's the 18th of November as
five words right it's the 18th of
November next one is number 31 and this
is 13th that's 1 3 th 13th the 13th okay
for example Friday the 13th Friday the
13th unlucky for some
Friday the 13th okay
number 32 is the word 30th and that's 3
0 th xxx xxx how are you doing how's
your face alright it's it feels like
going to the gym because it is like
going to the gym because it's muscles
it's about working the muscles in your
mouth your jaw your tongue so if it
feels like yeah if it feels
uncomfortable and your face even aches
that's good because it means you're
working those muscles so you got to keep
doing it practice practice practice
ok what's what was that work xxx for
example it's the 30th of December it's
the 30th of December number 33 and here
we've got a few words with silent
letters the first one is bomb a bomb an
explosive device the OMB but the B at
the end is silent so we end up with bomb
and bomb and bombed and bombing as well
for example there was a bomb scare in
the station there was a bomb scare
that's when the station gets evacuated
because you know there's been an alert
about a bomb a possible bomb there was a
bomb scare in the station people were
talking about a bombing so that's
bombing not bombing bombing and I can
remember when the IRA bombed Oxford
Street I can remember when the IRA
bombed Oxford Street
so that's bombed not bomb bit ok 34
we're nearly at the end it's the word
climb which also has a silent beyond the
end climb like climb like this you know
climb a mountain climb a ladder climb
for example do you want to go climbing
next weekend do you want to go climbing
next weekend so that's climbing not
climbing yeah ok number 35 is comb so
that's like a thing that you'd use to
comb your hair or not use
my case comb your hair you know it's
like a flat thing made of plastic comb
your hair like that a comb okay see OMB
but the B is silent I'm just combing my
hair with a comb can you repeat that I'm
just combing my hair with a comb okay
number 36 is crumb a crumb crumbs
these are little bits of bread or little
bits of like food that you might find on
the surface of a table like if you've
just eaten the biscuit yum yum yum and
there might be crumbs left on the plate
or on the table or something crumb with
silent B for example why are there loads
of bread crumbs on the table
have you been cutting bread here there
are lots of crumbs everywhere can you
clean them up please crumbs okay number
37 is the word debt debt it's got a
silent B as well that's debt look at
look at this say it with me debt yeah
you can smile when you say it you
shouldn't but you can debt you know it's
these lips should not meet when you say
that word so it's not depth and it's not
depth or depth its debt okay for example
many students leave University with
thousands of pounds of debt okay
thousands of pounds of debt okay good
just got a couple of others left next
one is doubt doubt like when you're not
sure about something doubt not doubt
again your lips don't meet is doubt
doubt doubt doubt okay there's no doubt
about it there's no doubt about it it's
a brilliant film there's no doubt about
it
number 39 is the word government or
government okay now there is n M in the
middle of the word but so you can
pronounce it government that's how I
usually browse it or government with a
little n government you
see that here that government or
government government or government
three syllables not four so don't say
government go it's not government it's
government or government okay for
example the government is yet to make a
statement
or the government is yet to make a
statement
as if you want to sound like you're on
the BBC the government is yet to make a
statement on the BBC and then two more
number forty years is my name and that's
Luke Luke okay not look not luck not
mister luck either just Luke okay Luke
Thompson okay Luke Thompson and number
41 is the word podcast this is a podcast
podcast all right not postcard this is a
postcard look a postcard from Japan
that's a postcard but this is a podcast
look there it's written Ella pod carpod
cast not postcard so that's a postcard
that's a well that's a podcast all right
so it's Luke's English podcast not
postcard not pot card not podcast or pot
cat it's a podcast all right cool
so if you'd like to hear more about this
kind of thing if you'd like to hear more
about these words with definitions of
the words and more then why not listen
to my audio podcast okay did you get
that my audio podcast which is called
Luke's English podcast that I've shown
it to you you could start with episode
number 485 which is all about difficult
English pronunciation and you'll hear me
and a friend of mine a very funny friend
of mine called Paul Taylor who is a
comedian you hear the two of us talking
about all of the most difficult words to
stay to say in English and there are
lots of jokes and things like that the
link to that episode is in the
description below if you haven't already
heard it you can check it out there and
you can subscribe to luke's English
podcast on itunes and on the android
play store as well if you've got an
Android phone also finally I would just
like to say thank you to the people from
topito comm the first ten words in this
list came from a list of difficult
English words that they originally
published on their website a few months
ago all right cool thanks for watching
Cheers
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